Visits to physicians for oral health-related complaints in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Objective

Canada’s national system of health insurance facilitates equitable access to health care; however, since dental care is generally privately financed and delivered, access to oral health care remains uneven and inequitable. To avoid the upfront costs, many argue that socially marginalized groups should seek oral health care from medical providers. This study therefore explored the rates and numbers of visits to physicians for oral health-related diagnoses in Ontario, Canada’s most populated province.

Methods

A retrospective secondary data analysis of health system utilization in Ontario was conducted for visits to physicians for oral health-related diagnoses. Data for all Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) approved billing claims were accessed over 11 fiscal years (2001–2011). Age- and sex-adjusted rates were calculated.

Results

Approximately 208,375 visits per year, with an average of 1,298/100,000 persons, were made to physicians for oral health-related diagnoses. Women, irrespective of the year, made more visits, and there was an increasing trend in visits made by elderly people.

Conclusion

The number of people visiting physicians for oral health reasons is arguably high. The public health system is being billed for services for oral health issues that the provider is not appropriately trained to treat. Provision of timely and accessible oral health care for socially marginalized populations needs to be prioritized in health care policy.

Mots Clés

References

1.

Health Canada. Summary Report on the Findings of the Oral Health Component of the Canadian Health Measures Survey 2007–2009. Available at: https://doi.org/www.fptdwg.ca/English/e-documents.html (Accessed September 28, 2014).Google Scholar

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Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable People Living in Canada. 2014.Google Scholar

3.

Aslanyan G, Feller A, Goel V, Hawkins R, Quinonez C, Sharma P, Tetley A. Staying ahead of the curve: A unified public oral health program for Ontario? Toronto, ON: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, in partnership with the Association of Local Public Health Agencies, the Association of Ontario Health Centres, and the Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry, 2012.Google Scholar